Virginia Priest Once Was 'Despicable' KKK Member, Burned Crosses

ARLINGTON, VA — A Catholic priest in the Diocese of Arlington has temporarily stepped down after admitting he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan before he became a priest. The Rev. William Aitcheson, 62, revealed his troubling past in an editorial published in the Arlington Catholic Herald Monday, while authorities say he was charged with burning crosses in the 1970s and threatening to kill the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

"What most people do not know about me is that as an impressionable young man, I was a member of the Ku Klux Klan," Aitcheson wrote. "It's public information but it rarely comes up. My actions were despicable."

Aitcheson has served at parishes in Arlington and Fredericksburg, as well as in Woodstock, Maryland. He currently is assistant to the pastor at St. Leo the Great in Fairfax City, reports The Washington Post.

Aitcheson said although he made a "radical transformation possible through Jesus Christ," the fatal Charlottesville hate rally reminded him of this period of his life. He admitted to burning crosses and writing a threatening letter 40 years ago to King.

"While 40 years have passed, I must say this: 'I’m sorry. To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry. I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me,'" Aitcheson wrote in the editorial.

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Aitcheson voluntarily asked to temporarily step away from his duties as a priest, according to the ministry.

In late 1988 to mid 1991, Aitcheson was assigned to parish duties in Las Vegas. He transferred to Little Flower Catholic Church in Reno in 1991 and then moved to the Diocese of Arlington in October 1993. Aitcheson was incardinated as a permanent priest at the Diocese of Arlington in February 1998.

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Catholic Diocese of Arlington Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said in a statement: “While Fr. Aitcheson’s past with the Ku Klux Klan is sad and deeply troubling, I pray that in our current political and social climate his message will reach those who support hate and division, and inspire them to a conversion of heart."

According to the church, there has been no accusations of racism or bigotry against Aitcheson throughout his time there.

The Washington Post reports that Aitcheson was charged with multiple cross-burnings, making bomb threats and manufacturing pipe bombs in Prince George's County, Maryland, in March 1977. Maryland State Police allegedly called Aitcheson a leader of the Robert E. Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the KKK.

While Aitcheson was a student at the University of Maryland, he allegedly pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Coretta King, the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. He was also accused of burning a cross in the front yard of a black family in College Park.

Aitcheson was not available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

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